Cardiologists warn non-Covid patients against socio-economic stress

Nagpur: Post-Covid complications may be leading to cardiac complications in many patients but eminent cardiologists of the city have cautioned non-Covid ones, asking them to guard against stress and anxieties, especially related to socio-economic factors, as the unlocking phase is gradually kicking in.
Senior cardiologist Dr Prashant Jagtap of Viveka Multispecialty Hospital said there has been a sudden spurt of heart attack cases among non-Covid patients for around last 10 days. “We have been getting post-Covid cardiac complications but have observed a trend of non-Covid patients too getting diagnosed with heart attacks in substantial numbers,” said Dr Jagtap. He suggested that anyone with chest pain, burning sensation, acidity and such symptoms must approach emergency desk of their nearest hospitals.
Renowned cardiologist Dr Shailendra Ganjewar too said he is seeing more non-Covid patients coming for treatment after suffering from cardiac ailments due to increased stress. “The sedentary life-style of the lockdown phase with restrictions on morning walks, least exercises, changed sleeping pattern, overeating of oily spicy food and so on have contributed to heart attacks among non-Covid persons,” said Dr Ganjewar. He said in the coming few months, citizens must follow sound life-style practices like exercise, walking, yoga, cycling and low carbohydrate diets to avoid cardiac complications.
Dr PP Deshmukh, head of the department of cardiology, Super Speciality Hospital, said stress is one of the biggest side-effects of lockdown. “A range of problems like financial losses to job or salary cuts will contribute to the stress-induced cardiac problems in the coming days,” said Dr Deshmukh.
Cardiologist Dr Manish Juneja suggested persons should not allow mental health to slip and resort to different ‘stress-busters’ like spending quality time with family and such positive habits to reduce resurgence of cardiac problems in the non-Covid section of the population.
Senior cardiologist Dr Mahesh Fulwani of Shreekrishna Hridayalaya also said he is foreseeing an increase of cardiac related problems in the masses to rise in the coming days because of the financial crunch and related stress.
Another renowned cardiologist Dr Jaspal Singh Arneja of Arneja Heart and Multispecialty Hospital felt more numbers of patients can also mean it was after the decline of the Covid wave that they felt safer to step out and visit hospitals unlike in the past. “I would rather say that more people are now reporting cardiac problems as they are feeling comfortable to come to hospitals,” he said.
Cardiologist Dr Harshawardhan Mardikar of Spandan Heart Institute and Research Centre also attributed cardiac problems to multiple factors, including falling of air quality through pollution once the transportation and their movements increases apart from work. “Once the work would start along with the normal hustle and bustle of the city, the stress too is likely to come in,” he said,